Miles: 376.6 | A slow, cold start leads us uphill to Ash Gap under hazy sunshine and steep terrain, with Maverick feeling especially rough. The long walk to water is tiring but beautiful, and the evening brings exactly what we need — a shared fire, familiar section hikers, and quiet camaraderie as the sun goes down. Muscles get rolled, bear bags go up, and we crawl into our tents bracing for another snowy night.
At Ash Gap we set up camp and got water. The water trail was super long but beautiful.
We went over to the fire near the middle of camp and met the section hikers from Greasy Creek, Savage, Poe, Spartacus, Drop, Gemini, Bernie, and Dynasty there! We all chatted around the fire and made our dinners. We hung out until the sun went down. I rolled my muscles.
We left late in the cold after our laundry was done. We walked slowly up to Ash Gap. It was sunny but cold and a bit hazy. The terrain was steep. Maverick has an awful stomach ache.
We went to bed after hanging our bear bags, awaiting the snow.